Out of these Ashes
by Sk8rgrl69
Summary: "Bella looked up from her desk, watching the blonde woman walking through the door to her shop, followed by two others. She knew what they were, but couldn't deny to herself that something stirred within her at the sight. Who were these strange Vampires, and why were they in her shop?" Begins after Edward leaves. G!P/futa, femslash, Bella/Jess beginning,Bella/Denali sisters endgame
1. Gone

So… This story was a prompt by Celesse201. I don't know if the Alerts have been fixed, but I uploaded a chapter to Grey Area, and I don't believe it came through to anyone. There was also a problem with the PMs, as Kage and Imouto tried to send me a PM and I never got it. Anyway, so… Enjoy.

I don't own Twilight.

Warnings: Futa, wearing, Edward bashing, Cullen bashing, Jacob bashing, femslash, future torture, graphic scenes and such… uh, yeah.

XxXxXxX

"You're leaving?!" Bella snarled out, glaring at the golden eyed man… _no,_ she thought. _He's no man. This is a cowardly_ boy! Edward rolled his eyes.

"I grow tired of pretending to be human. The other humans are growing suspicious of Carlisle, as he should be in his early thirties by now. We must go. And no, we aren't taking you with us."

"And the others just… left?" Bella's anger was starting to sizzle down into depression. Alice, her best friend, had abandoned her. Esme, who claimed her as a daughter, had left without a word.

"They had more important things to attend to." Edward, a smirk on his face, flashed to her, kissed her forehead and whispered "Goodbye, Bella," before vanishing. Bella stared blankly ahead, realization overcoming her. The day she was to attempt telling Edward, someone who claimed he was her soulmate, that she wasn't like the other girls. He was just about to learn her deepest, darkest secret, the real reason she hated dresses, skirts, and anything revealing, and he did… this…

He left.

Like Bella was nothing.

She felt like nothing.

Blankly, she returned to her home and resumed what she thought was her normal life.

XxXxX

Three months later

"Bella!" Charlie barked, bursting into her room. She looked up blankly from her rocking chair, and his heart broke. His little girl was hurt, and he was about to do the only thing he could think of to fix it. "This is just… this is wrong. Why are you acting like this?" he asked her in a firm, but gentle tone.

"He left." Her answer was blank, devoid of any emotion.

"So you think you're… what, worthless now?" She nodded, and the man growled deeply. "No!" he barked out, slamming his hand down on her desk, causing her to jump and for the first time in months, she looked at him with a flicker of feeling. "Your worth is not measured by what some gutless, pig headed, asshole of a boy thinks of you. You are _my_ daughter! You are a Swan! You are not worthless! You have more worth in your pinky toe than that coward has in his entire body!" More feeling flashed in her eyes, more emotion. Say it with me. You're name is Isabella Marie Jackson Swan!"

"My name is Isabella Marie Jackson Swan," she repeated, sitting forward a little.

"Your worth is not measured by what others think!"

"My worth is not measured by what others think," she said, this time firmly.

"Repeat it."

"My name is Isabella Marie Jackson Swan, and my worth is not measured by what others think." Conviction filled her voice as she stood up.

"Again," Charlie barked, pride filling him as she said it again, louder this time. This continued until Bella was shouting it and hugged her father.

"Thank you, dad. You're right, and honestly, I just wasn't myself with that boy. I mean, I would just let him rule my life." She shook her head at herself.

"Well, I think I've got something to take your mind off of it more. Come on, I'll show you your surprise." He looked at the shorts and t-shirt she was wearing. "Before you meet me down there, put on something you don't mind getting dirty." She nodded, confused, and once he left, she pulled out a pair of loose jeans and a tank top, looking down at the thing that may very have run the boy off anyway. Hanging flaccid between her legs was her "birth defect". Her penis was impressive, considering she hadn't gone through her final growth spurt her father always spoke about. She sighed, pulling on fresh boxer briefs and her jeans over it, followed by a white tank top. Her long, curly hair was pulled into a ponytail and she looked herself over. She had grown an inch or two since Edward had left, standing at 5'8 now. She sighed and grabbed a pair of tennis shoes and pulled them on, then ran down the stairs. She was excited, wondering what her father could have gotten that she would have to worry about getting dirty. Stepping out, she first noticed her truck and the cruiser were parked on the curb. She than saw something that filled her with glee. There was another truck, a 1995 Chevy Silverado. The paint was chipping and the frame rusting, the tires nearly completely bald, but it was workable. Much better than her beast.

"What do you think?" Charlie called from the front of the hood.

"It's amazing, but is it drivable?"

"Not yet. That's where we come in." It took the teenage a moment to catch on, but she still asked just to be sure.

"You mean…"

"I'm finally going to teach you my trade. Being a cop is great, but cars and bikes, that's my first love. Now come here," he called to her as he opened the hood. From there he pointed out the different parts, how they worked, how it came together as a whole.

XxXxX

As the days of summer progressed he taught her everything he knew, everything he learned in trade school, plus things you can only learn from experience. They started taking apart the Beast, using the parts they could for the new truck and selling the rest for scrap. Finally, the engine was completely rebuilt, along with every other part of the truck. The next step was the body. School had begun, so Bella worked on her truck during the weekends and started running to school. With hard work, her body was filling out muscle adorning her arms, stomach, and back from lugging heavy tires and other parts. Boys still hit on her, but she was pleasantly surprised to see that girls were also starting to hit on her. Jessica Stanley, in fact, had asked her to come with her to senior prom. Shocked, but admitting the mild crush she had always had on the cheerleader, she accepted.

They had gone together, Jessica wearing a purple dress while Bella wore a black and purple suit. Lauren was named prom queen, and Mike the king, and Bella realized that night that she was very, very gay. Jessica found out she, too, was just as gay, but thoroughly enjoyed _every_ part of Bella. They stayed together through graduation, and while Jessica went to college in Seattle, Bella focused all her time finishing her truck with her father. They had replaced the frame with a thicker, but lighter material. It was tougher, without risking the integrity of the truck. Finally, the finishing touch was adding wheels that worked. They jacked the truck up to the point that even Bella had a little trouble getting in, the bottom of the door coming to her shoulder. The paint job had been her idea, the body completely black with a single tribal style flame coming along each side.

"She's beautiful, Bells. What are we gonna call her?" Charlie asked his daughter, her bangs to falling in her face while he had a bit more grey in his hair facial hair. He had changed his signature mustache to a thin goatee. Bella folded her arms, the muscles bulging slightly before settling.

"I think… Muta. It's a shortened version of Mutatio, which means change in Latin. This truck is what helped me become… well, me again."

"It's fitting. Muta." He clapped her shoulder before heading inside. "Steaks tonight?" He called back. Bella grinned.

"Hell yeah!" They ran inside, Charlie instructing his daughter to shower while he manned the grill. That was something else that changed. Charlie learned to cook so his daughter could chase her dreams. He was proud of her, seeing her change from the girl that would roll over and let a boy make her choices, to the strong woman he saw now that could fight for what she loved, was independent… he was the proudest father in town, he was sure of it. He remembered fondly the night she had told him that she believed herself to be gay, to which he told her he wasn't really shocked. For gods sake, she had a dick. He was actually preparing himself for the "I'm gay" talk since she was three. Speaking of which…

Jessica peeked in the front door. "Is she out of sight?" she whispered to Charlie, who nodded. Jessica snuck in and grinned. Her style, much like Bella's, had changed. She now prefered jeans and t-shirts, simply because she was comfortable. The former cheerleader remembered the day Bella had asked her about her style.

" _Jess?" Bella had asked from beside her girlfriend, her arm around the smaller girl. Jessica was wearing a rather frilly dress. Not childish, but eye catching._

" _Yeah?"_

" _If you don't mind my asking, why do you always dress so flashy? Do you just like it?" Jessica blushed and looked away._

" _No, I… I thought you liked it. I've always been told I have to look pretty to attract anyone."_

 _Bella frowned and cupped the other girl's cheek, drawing her in for a gentle kiss. "You don't have to look like anything for me, Jess. I love you just as you are."_

" _You… you love me?" Jessica gasped, wrapping her arms around the mechanic's neck._

" _Yes. I love you, with or without the makeup, with or without the dresses. I love you, not what you have on. I love your personality, not your dre-mph!" She couldn't finish her confession, because the awestruck woman had tackled her and started kissing the daylights out of her._

" _I love you, too, Bella. God, I love you!"_

"She should be down soon," Charlie told her, bringing the younger girl to the present. "Go hide in the closet, and we can surprise her."

"But, I just got out of the closet," she joked with a straight face. He held his only a moment before they both started laughing and she did as told. Bella came down a few minutes later wearing black jeans with a chain clipping her wallet to her belt loop, combat boots, and a tight black tank top. Her hair was in a french braid, and she grinned as she looked around.

"Hey, dad. Damn, that smells good." She frowned when she saw the extra steak. "Is Billy coming over?"

"Oh, no, actually… but don't worry about it for now." Jessica held in her giggle from behind the coats and listened. "Hey, can you get me something from the closet. I have a present in there for you."

Bella tilted her head, but shrugged. "Fair enough." She walked over to the closet door and opened it, not quite seeing the pair of legs behind the coats before pulling Charlie's coat back, thinking the gift might be there. The grinning face that greeted her took her a moment to register before she grinned.

"Jess!" she boomed, grabbing her girlfriend and pulling her out of the closet before hugging her fiercely.

"Hey, Bells!" Jessica laughed, hugging her love back. She almost turned to Charlie, but was quickly stopped by a pair of warm lips on hers, causing the shorter girl to melt into her and tangled her fingers in Bella's hair. They were broken apart by a throat clearing.

"As much as I'm sure you've missed each other, maybe we should have dinner?" He nodded to the set plates and table, a grin on his face. Jessica blushed and Bella chuckled before pulling out a chair for her girl. Once they all sat down, the taller girl looked around, confused.

"So… not that I'm not excited to see you, Jess, and grateful for steak… What's all this about? Is someone dying?" Charlie and Jessica looked at her confused before laughing.

"Bella, it's your birthday! You didn't notice?" Jess laughed some more as Bella blinked.

"Oh… Okay, that makes sense. I really did forget." She chuckled and leaned over to kiss her girlfriend's cheek.

"Happy 20th, Bells," Charlie laughed.

XxXxX

Bella drove toward the beach almost a year later, her summer break coming to an end. She had enrolled in the same trade school her father had, and she and Jessica had recently moved in together. Said woman was cuddled up beside her on the bench seat, her belly showing the first signs of the life growing within her.

"Think Jake will recognize you?" Jessica asked with a laugh, running a hand over the buzzed side of her fiance's head. Bella had gotten a cut similar to something Ruby Rose might have, her natural waves giving it body. Bella laughed, relaxing into her girl's hand.

"Probably not. But he can suck it. As long as he doesn't touch my girl, he can live." Jessica giggled and looked out to see Jake with a few of his buddies gawking at the truck. As she parked, they seemed to gather around it and she sighed, opening the door and jumping out before turning to help her lover down.

"Dude, nice truck!"

"Where'd you get it?!"

"Shit, that girl is hot!"

"Wait… Bella?!" Jake yelped. He was only a few inches taller than Bella's now 5'9 frame, and he rushed forward, causing Bella to gently push her fiance behind her to protect her.

"Hi, Jake. What's up?"

"What… what happened to you? Is that truck why you don't come over anymore? Who's this with you?"

"You know, for someone who told me two years ago not to bug him, that he couldn't deal with me, you have a lot of questions. Alright, in order, I grew up and fell in love, yes this is my new one that I build after I found out you purposefully left flaws in my old one so I would have to bring it back to you all the time, and this is my fiance, Jessica. You done?"

He gaped while Jessica snuggled into Bella's side, relaxing when a strong arm fell over her shoulders.

"F-fiance?!" he gasped. "Is that why you never went out with me?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "I never dated you because you're an immature asshole who only wants a woman to be barefoot and pregnant in his kitchen." She turned and guided her lover toward the beach, throwing over her shoulder "Oh, and you're not as hot as my woman, so…"

Jessica giggled and relaxed against her lover. "You're so hot when you get possessive and angry…"

"I'll remember that, then," Bella purred in her ear, tugging her more into her body.

XxXxX

It was later that night, staying in her old room with Jessica, that Bella heard something downstairs. Bella got up, throwing on shorts and a shirt before retrieving her gun. "Baby?" Jessica asked sleepily, causing Bella to hold up her hand, then put a finger to her lips. Her lover nodded, quietly putting on a shirt and boxers as Bella crept out of her room, her gun at the ready. Charlie seemed to have the same idea and they looked at each other as they met up, nodding before carefully going down the stairs, avoiding the ones that creaked. They heard another sound, something hitting the counter lightly, and pressed against the wall before both burst around the archway, guns drawn.

"Freeze!" Charlie yelled, but Bella's blood had already run cold. Red hair, wild around the woman's head, deathly pale skin, tall and lanky, but definitely still a child-like face, and eyes as red as blood. The only thoughts running through her head were of her father, beside her and vulnerable, her fiance upstairs, carrying their child and if possible more vulnerable.

"Oh, please, like that will hurt me," the woman sneered, smirking darkly at Bella. "Hello, Isabella…"

"Victoria…"

XxXxXxX

Dun dun duuuuuuun

Alright, so that's the beginning. I hope I've hooked everyone in, and that you like this so far. Thanks to Kage and Imouto (mostly Imouto, lol) for letting me bounce ideas off of them. And big shoutout to Celesse201 for the story request!


	2. No

Okay… this was painful. Uhm, not much to say up here. Just lots of warnings.

Vivid death and torture, trigger warnings, blood, death, lots of swearing and implied child death.

I don't own twilight… at all… I'm gonna build my fort now.

XxXxXxX

Bella's grip on her gun loosened for a moment before she growled lowly, pointing it toward Victoria's head. What shocked her, however, was her father. Charlie growled, loudly.

"What the fuck do you want, leech?!" he snarled.

"Dad…" Bella whispered, watching shock overtake Victoria's face.

"I can't really explain it now, Bells."

"What. Do. You. Want?" Bella growled, turning her attention back to the Vampire. She would protect her family, if it killed her.

"You, of course," Victoria laughed, the sound chilling. "You see, your precious mate killed mine. He killed the only man I ever loved, the only thing at all I have ever loved. So I'm going to do the same to you. I'm going to kill everything you care about, then I'm going to kill you. Slowly. I want to draw this out."

"Edward left a long time ago, so clearly he wasn't my mate. Why go after the weak link when it would be much more fun for you to go after a challenge. It would feel better for you if you kill him. Would be more satisfying."

Rage consumed the redhead's eyes. "What do you mean he left?!"

"Two years. What have you been doing in that time?" Bella frowned, still not lowering her gun. "He left, and he took his stupid family with him. He said it was a game for him."

"That… that no good lying piece of shit…" she growled, pacing in front of them. Bella glanced at her father, hoping maybe this had turned her anger to another source, but her hopes were crushed when she rounded on them with a sickening grin, taking their guns in a blink of an eye and throwing them away.

"That, of course, doesn't change anything. You see, the chances of winning against a coven of vampires, bunny munchers or not, if rather slim. As it is, I've already carried a part of my plan." A shudder ran through the taller woman's body as she realized they now had no way to defend themselves. Not that guns would have done anything.

"Don't hurt them, but take me. I don't care what you do to me, but don't hurt my family. They haven't done anything wrong. They don't have a part in this, Victoria. We will settle this, just the two of us. You can break all of my bones, but don't hurt my family."

Victoria seemed to think it over, tapping her chin as she paced the kitchen again. "As fun as that would be, and such a good suggestion, I already have a part of them, so there's really nothing I can do now." She grinned now, fangs and all, as Bella's blood ran cold. "Your mother's name is Renee, right? Married to that baseball player. God, she was ditzy, too. Thought I might have been a friend of yours from school, didn't even see it coming. She's waiting for us, of course. Her and her husband, Phil, was it?" Bella growled, rage consuming her. "Now I just have to take you and your father, and the family is all together."

 _She doesn't know about Jess… maybe there's something good that will come out of it._ Just as Bella relaxed a little, along with Charlie, they heard footsteps on the stairs. _NO!_

"Oh, it sounds like we have a guest after all… mmm oh, and a little guest, too! My, Bella, you have been busy!" Jessica froze at the bottom of the steps and Bella moved with surprising speed to stand in front of her, crouched slightly in a protective stance.

"Don't you dare. I will find a way to rip you apart!" Bella snarled, hands flexed. Victoria laughed and before they could blink, let alone react, she had knocked them all out.

XxXxX

Bella groaned, beginning to come to. As always, she did a mental check of her body. Massive headache, but nothing else really hurt. Something was around her wrists and neck. She heard Jessica sobbing and instantly remembered what had happened. Victoria. Her eyes shot open at the same time she tried shooting to her feet. Unfortunately she was yanked back by what she now knew were chains around her neck, wrists and ankles. She also noticed it was nearly pitch black.

"Bella?" she heard her mother gasp.

"Mom! Are you alright?" the younger woman rasped out.

"Confused, but not harmed too bad. Who is that woman?"

"Victoria… she… it's a long story. Is Phil alright?"

"I'm okay, Bella," a deeper voice answered, a rasp present in it.

"Charlie?" she called out next.

"Leech got us, but we're alive, Bells."

"Where's Jess?"

A beat of silence before finally… "Who is that woman, and why does she want to kill us?" she whispered, barely conscious. Bella had been out for maybe three days, the hit across her head being the hardest, and the woman, the leech, as Charlie called her, didn't feed them much. Enough to keep them alive, and in Jessica's case, enough to keep the baby alive.

Bella's heart broke, but she sighed, delving into the story. She told them of how Edward began to pursue her, how he showed her what he was. How they fell into a relationship, Rosalie's anger about the danger this posed to her family. The baseball game, and finally why she left Charlie, the real reason. Charlie revealed that he had figured it was something like that. But then came the kicker.

"They tricked me. Told me they had you, mom," Bella directed at her mother. "So I snuck away from Jasper and Alice, and met him. He played with me. Threw me around, and recorded. Just as he bit me, Edward ripped him off. He killed him and sucked the venom out. They said I was his singer and were shocked he didn't kill me, but he almost did. After that, everything seemed fine. They threw me a party i didn't fucking want, and I got a paper cut. Jasper almost attacked me, and after that Edward got more distant. He took me out to the woods a few days later, told me I was nothing but a pet, and something to pass the time. Then he left. You know the rest."

"So, Victoria is this James guy's mate?" Jessica asked.

"Yep."

"A mate for a mate?"

"Basically."

"But you're not his mate!" She snarled, her slight possessive nature coming into play.

"I know. She figures that since everything she loved was taken, she's going to do the same to me. Then she's going to kill me. She wants to break me, and she's…" Bella's voice cracked. "She's going to use you guys. I'm so sorry."

Clapping sounded to the side and suddenly the room was flooded with light. "What a story, Isabella. Congratulations. Now that we're all on the same page, it's time to get started." She chuckled, her black eyes a testament to her hunger. "Oh, but who to start with… hmm…" she swept her eyes over the assembled group. "I think it best to start with the stepfather…" She laughed cruelly, unlocking the chains from the wall and dragging Phil behind her.

"No! Please, not my husband!" Renee cried, trying to break free. Victoria only laughed at Phil's attempts to break from her grip and return to his wife before turning and doing the same to Bella.

"Come along, Ms. Swan. After all, you are our honored guest."

"Let me go, you filthy animal!" Bella snarled, tugging at her own chains, as useless as it was. Without much effort, Victoria dragged the both of them down long, maze-like hallways until she kicked open a door. Inside was a single metal table, one that leaned back and forth like in monster movies. On the wall across from it was a hookup for Bella's chains. Phil and his step daughter both started struggling harder, knowing nothing good would come of this. Victoria tutted, not even feeling their struggle but instead hearing the increased heartbeats and chains rattling.

"How about you sit," she threw Bella against the wall, pleased with the groan that followed. "Down!" In the time it took Bella to get to her feet again, Victoria had chained Phil to the table and returned to chain Bella back to the wall. Victoria absently thought Bella's growl was almost cute before standing between the two humans.

"Now, this torture session will last quite a while. Of course I'll make sure my friend keeps your _family_ ," she spat out. "Fed, while I keep you two fed." Then, without warning, she reached out a broke one of the bones in Phil's feet, causing him to scream. "This was your idea, Bella, don't you remember?"

Bella's face paled, and she fought harder against her chains, desperate to save her stepfather. Hours later, she was finally reaching exhaustion, and Phil's screams got louder. Still, though, Bella weakly tugged on her chains. Victoria finally broke the last of the bones, if you don't count his spine, and paused, smelling the internal bleeding.

"This is the fun part," the redhead giggled, leaning down and biting the man. She took only a gulp and injected him with venom before pulling back. Phil's screaming came back anew, feeling each of his broken bones snap back into place until Victoria bit him again in the same spot, sucking the venom out before pulling back once more. With skill Bella was a little surprised by, she hooked up a bag of blood to an IV and dread filled her when she realized how many bags of blood were in that fridge.

She was going to bring them to the brink, and then save them. Over and over until she was bored.

Victoria smirked at her as Phil passed out, pain still radiating through his body. "I see you've figured out my plan. Mind you, it won't be the same for everyone, but you're probably right." She grinned, concealed anger burning in her eyes.

"You're going to bring them back until you're bored…"

She giggled, running her hands through her hair. "Oh, of course I am! That's so much fun. It was a game I use to play with my mate." She smirked at the woman. "Now… tell me, who did that girl cheat on you with?"

"What makes you think she cheated?" Bella growled, tugging at her chains. Victoria flashed in front of her and flicked her forehead.

"Two women can't have a baby, so clearly she missed dick," she taunted, surprised when Bella scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"She doesn't have to miss dick, and I probably ruined her for any other one anyway." Bella smirked at the look of shock on Victoria's face.

"You're lying."

"You don't smell the difference?"

Victoria's face twisted in rage before she took a deep breath, indeed realizing that while Bella's scent was primarily rather feminine, now that she was older she smelled more masculine, the tang a hard contrast.

"How could I have missed that…?" she snarled at herself, but she quickly realized this gave her an even more fun game. "Well, I was going to kill her next, but I guess I'll save her for last." Victoria smirked at the devastated look on Bella's face, having reminded the woman why she was here once more.

XxXxX

A month. Bella only knew because of sleep, and the vampire reminding her. She continually brought Phil to the edge of death, then brought him back. She fed them little, and only gave them small drinks of water every three days. Finally, she stopped. Phil lay there, staring at the ceiling, his bones broken once more. His heart was beating slowly, too slowly. Victoria paced as she looked at him.

"Hmm… how to kill him… broken neck is too fast… if he bleeds out I don't get to drink it… hmm… hang him? No… Eh, I'll just eat him." She shrugged and Bella could hang her head in defeat. She was weak. Too weak to fight, too weak to save him, and Phil was nearly brain dead by then. Of course, she wasn't going to be able to avoid watching, as Victoria grabbed her by her hair and yanked her head back. "You'll want to watch this, Kitten!" she sneered, chaining her neck up to the wall while she walked over to the prone and broken man. With a swiftness that rivaled a snake, she stuck, biting into his neck and slowly draining him. Bella watched, her heart breaking for her mother, as the light slowly left his eyes. Victoria pulled back a few minutes later and smirked licking the blood from her lips.

"That was fun, hmm, Bella?" she taunted, walking forward as she patted her belly. "I wonder who will be next," she laughed, taking Bella's chains and dragging the weakened woman, quite literally, back to the room her family was in. When they arrived, a dark vampire was among them.

"If only I could have a snack…" he was saying, but stopped when Victoria grabbed him by the back of his neck.

"I don't think so, Laurent," she snarled, and the dreadlock baring vampire sneered at her before leaving. Victoria threw Bella against the far wall, not bothering to chain the woman up. She was too weak to even lift her head from the floor at this point. "See you all soon, dears," the redhead taunted, giggling as she left.

"Bella…?" Jess asked softly, watching her fiance for movement. She was breathing, but couldn't seem to get up.

"Bella, where's Phil?" Renee asked desperately. With this question, sobs shook the young woman's body, remembering every moment of the last month. They couldn't make out more than "I'm sorry," over and over again, and they quickly realized what had happened, the last of their hope leaving them.

For a week after that, Victoria seemed to focus on getting Bella's health back up. Said she enjoyed the fight the girl had. She was chained again, and more than once had spit in the vampire's face, her rage increasing with each day. It seemed not to affect the redhead on the outside, but Bella saw the anger in her eyes. At the end of that week, Victoria dragged Bella away from the wall, laughing at the renewed attempts to free herself, though she frowned when she realized how much more powerful the tugging was. With a shrug, she grinned widely and grabbed Renee as well.

"Time to join your hubby, dear…" she laughed, glancing at Bella's angry eyes and feeling her own widen when she saw the twenty year old seemed… physically stronger. She shook her head. _Impossible…_ She continued to drag them down the hallways, taking a different way. Bella's nose scrunched as she smelled something weird and honestly gag worthy. It got stronger and stronger until Victoria kicked open the door again and Renee screamed. There on the table, left there for the week the had stayed in the other room, was Phil's mangled body. Renee screamed again, the sound becoming a sob before she threw up to the side. Bella was shaking, and was thrown against the wall again. Rage fueled her as she launched to her feet, halfway across the room by the time Renee was chained to the far wall. Victoria turned in surprise and growled, meeting the enraged human halfway and punching her in the jaw, sending her flying back into the wall. This time Victoria lost no time chaining her up, seething.

"That earned your mother another week. I hope you're happy." Bella growled at her, tugging at the chains that seemed to groan under her efforts. Victoria's eyes flicked to them a moment before turning to her other captive.

"Now… what to do with you…" She thought a moment before lighting up. "Ah! I got it!" she exclaimed before flashing out of the room. Renee looked at her husband's body, sobs causing her body to shake in defeat and horror, fear freezing her blood.

"What did she do to him…?" she whimpered out. Bella somehow heard it and looked down in shame, before tugging at her chains again.

"You don't want to know, trust me, mom…"

"How can I trust you?!" the older woman snarled to Bella's shock. "Because of you, because of that boy you were with, we're in this mess! My husband wouldn't be dead if it wasn't for you!" Renee yelled, anger filling her being. Bella seemed to shrink back before a rage filled her. It felt both foreign and familiar all at once. Victoria returned with a dagger, a grin on her face and Bella snarled at her.

"This is a torture that the Chinese once used. One thousand cuts are applied to the body, careful not to hit any major arteries or organs. I think this is going to be fun…" she giggled before cutting a cut over Renee's stomach, making her yell out in pain. Stomach, legs, thighs, forearms, upper arms, forehead, cheeks, over and over until blood soaked the woman's clothes. Death from the corpse in front of her filled the air, overpowering the iron smell of the blood. Once again, Victoria injected the woman with blood, bringing her back before sucking it out and starting over. Bella continued to fight, not noticing that she was making progress, until she lost strength rather suddenly. Once again, they were fed little and only given water every few days. The torture went on for both of them. Despite Renee's continued harsh words to her daughter, Bella let her rage fuel the strength she gained to attempt breaking free.

XxXxX

Two months. Victoria tortured her mother for two months, cutting into Bella's flesh from time to time just for shits and giggles. Bella knew from the vampire that the words "Bitch", "Traitor", "Weak", "Stupid", and similar words were carved deeply into her back. Finally, while she made Bella watch, Victoria drained her weak and bleeding mother with no hint of remorse. Bella was once again dragged back to the room that now only held her heavily pregnant fiancee and her father. The last words her mother spoke to her were circling in her head.

" _This is all your fault!" Renee sobbed. "You're not my daughter! You're a monster!"_

Charlie gasped at the sight of Bella, her back bloody, words carved into her now bare back and her demeanor seemingly defeated. Her mother was dead, her stepfather dead, and now…

"My, my, my… such sad faces. What's wrong, humans?" Victoria giggled, throwing Bella, once again, against the far wall beside her father. "Not enjoying our little game?" She turned to Jessica, her stomach ballooning and clearly close to her due date. "How's the baby, bitch?" Bella growled weakly from the ground, attempting to get up, anger fueling her again. Victoria looked at her, bored, and kicked her back into the wall, making her groan in pain as she felt a few bones break. "I think the father should be next, though I'm still rather thirsty. I don't think this will last nearly as long. In fact, we're going to finish this right now," she giggled. Charlie growled, and though it was weak to vampire standards, it was rather strong for a human. "Any last words, Chief Swan?"

He looked at the vampire before turning to Bella. Something seemed to flash in his eyes, an emotion that Bella wouldn't place until later, before they hardened and he sneered at her. "You brought this on us. How dare you place your family, the only people you claim to care about, on the line and in danger. You're the worst kind of monster!" He took a deep breath and Bella shrank back. "And I hate you…"

Victoria giggled in delight. "Oh, look at that! I think you might have finally broke her spirit! Good job!" she clapped her hands. "Too bad you won't be around to see the results…" she giggled before swooping in, biting down on his neck and beginning to drink. To the horror of both Bella and Jessica, she also took her sharp nails and began to drag them down the middle of his torso, tearing his body open. Rage overcame Bella for a moment, before sadness and defeat washed over her body like ice water. Charlie's body was thrown unceremoniously to the ground. The then advanced on the older of the girls, grinning at Bella.

"You did tell me I should break all your bones. Let's see how you take it." With that, making sure Jessica could see everything, Victoria chained Bella back up and started to painstakingly break each bone in her body, including each vertebra. Bella's voice nearly broke as she screamed out in pain. Jessica cried silent tears at the sight of her lover. When she was done, Victoria vanished, if only for a moment, and returned with wood. A strangely large pile, and Bella wondered fleetingly what it was for. She found out, however, when Victoria piled it under her now paralyzed body.

"Lucky for you, flesh burns slowly, so you get to see all of this before you die," Victoria giggled, gleeful with her revenge in sight, and dropped a match onto the wood. She then stalked slowly to a whimpering Jessica, who watched as Bella's clothes caught fire, her skin turning black. Why wouldn't this bitch just walk faster and end it?! She didn't want to see her lover die. No no no no!

Finally, Bella saw Victoria reach Jessica and pull out a knife. Rage filled her again, burning hotter than the fire consuming her as her eyes seemed to burn out and she lost sight. She felt some of her bones snap back together, enough that she stood up, her skin still on fire. Without her sight, she still somehow knew exactly where Victoria was. The chains snapped away from the wall, the fire on her skin slowly going out. Before Victoria could understand what was happening, she felt a hand slam into her skin, grabbing her spine right below her neck, and rip it out with strength she did not understand. Her spinal cord severed, she fell limply to the ground. Shocked, she realized she couldn't move, but could feel as a foot slammed down on her leg, snapping it cleanly. She screamed out and looked up, shocked to see Bella standing above her, skin slowly fixing itself as her body started snapping into place. It was like something out of a horror movie, her hair burned off, skin mostly black and dead, eye sockets hollow, but even with her lips burned away, it was clear she was grinning at her, teeth slowly sharpening.

"What's wrong, Victoria? Don't like to be on the receiving end?" Her voice was nearly gone, only a rasp of it's former self, hollow in sound and erie to the extreme. The dead skin began to fall away, revealing black and red fur, and Bella slammed her foot on Victoria's other leg, relishing in the resulting scream of pain. "You killed everything I love, so now I'm going to kill you. Slowly." Shockingly powerful blows broke each diamond hard bone before sharp claws sliced open the vampire's torso. "I warned you, Victoria. If you touched a hair on my woman's head, I would rip you apart…" Bella growled, her vocal cords healing. The last of her burnt skin peeled away, muscles building before her eyes as fur covered the healing woman's body. How was she alive?! What the hell was she?! Now green eyes seemed to build within the girl's sockets and she snarled, crushing each organ within Victoria's body before finally pulling off her head and throwing it into the still burning fire. A mane of hair began sprouting around her head and she turned to Jessica, seeing that Victoria managed to slice her throat before Bella got to her. She reached weakly for the other woman and Bella knelt next to her.

"Jess…" she whimpered.

"Bel-la…" she choked out. "Have to sa-ay something… te-ell you…"

"Baby don't waste your strength…"

"The-ey d-didn't mean it…" she whispered out. Bella furrowed her furry brow and listened as Jessica tried to explain. Charlie had known what Bella was. It ran in the family, skipping generations at times. He told them to make her angry, fuel her rage, so that she would change. Charlie knew they might not make it, but wanted Bella to live on. To avenge them. Charlie and Renee had left their messages with Jessica that they didn't hate Bella, and loved her.

"I l-love yo-ou, B… Bell…" Jessica said as she finally bled out, Bella's hand over her severed skin only prolonging her life for so long.

"I love you, too, Jess… I love you, too," Bella sobbed out before she set her love's body down, the fire consuming the room behind her as she ran through the halls until she found the exit. Seemingly unable to hold in whatever was happening, Bella's body exploded into a large black and red male lion and she ran from the celler just as she heard heavy foot fall and smelt wet dog behind her.

She didn't know where she was going, she just ran, unaware she was running south.

XxXxXxX

So… uhm… yeah… -finishes fort- I hope this was uhm… you know what I'm just gonna hide -puts on armor-

A lot of you begged me not to hurt Jess, and I'm so sorry but this had to happen for the storyline. Anyway… yeah..


	3. Running

Okay, sorry, I tried posting this on the app and apparently it messed up the formatting, which shouldn't surprise me. So here's the retry.

XxXxXxX

A large black lion was seen running through the states, seemingly nothing able to stop it. Men shot at it with guns, some with arrows, and yet, nothing seemed to`slow it down. Even tranquilizer darts had no effect on the beast. For several weeks reports came back until it crossed into South America, and seemingly vanished. In reality, however, the beast had escaped into the Amazon rainforest…

The black fur of the lion seemed to melt into the shadows, only the red of its coat showing. Arrows were embedded into its skin between its shoulder blades, above its tail, and embedded along its sides. Bullet wounds riddled its body, and it looked bone thin, almost like a wind too strong would blow it over. Weak pants left its mouth as it ran, steadily becoming slower and slower until finally it came to a stop, confronted by three tall women who couldn't possibly be human. Their hair was both wild and beautiful at the same time, their skin dark. All towered, reaching between 6' and 6'3, and were exceptionally beautiful. Suddenly, the lion only saw darkness, but only for a moment before it collapsed, pain, exhaustion, and dehydration taking over. Shocked, the three vampires watched the large creature collapse in front of them.

The tallest of the trio gasped as she looked at the enormous beast. "This is not ordinary lion," she stated to her coven mates in their native tongue. "Senna, what do you think?" She asked, turning to her left. Senna was the shortest, standing 6' even, her long black hair reaching down her back, tickling the bare skin of her back. Like each of the vampires, she wore animal skin clothings, showing her toned body.

"It looks like this may be a werecat, though I couldn't tell you why he's so… well, sickly. I don't have answers beyond that, though, Zafrina." Zafrina, the first who had spoken, had a sharp, angular face with thick black curls, though they fell nearly smooth around her face. The last one, standing maybe 6'2, had a rounder face, sharper eyes, and her skin was a slightly lighter shade. Each woman had the appearance of having been stretched, everything from their legs to their noses were long.

"Kachiri… it's your call. What do we do?" Senna muttered, resting a hand on the other woman's bicep. Kachiri looked at her coven mates and back to the lion. Sighing, she began to get her together a few things. "He will die out here like he is. Let's build something to carry him, then we shall take him back home. He needs medical attention." Relief washed over the group and they quickly crafted a sort of stretcher out of leaves and a few branches. Once finished, they laid it next to the comatose lion and together managed to lift it over to it before they made their way home.

XxXxX

The lion stayed unconscious throughout the journey, despite the slightly rough terrain, and Zafrina found herself both confused and intrigued by the large beast. When they reached their home, which was only a large clearing in front of what looked like an old stone temple, they gently laid him down and Senna began her work on removing the arrows. The first nudge, however caused a growl to rip from the lion. Senna paused, looking between the massive beast and her coven mates.

"Zafrina, can you try to keep him calm?" Kachiri mumbled. Zafrina nodded and knelt by the lion's head, cautiously running her fingers through the black fur and was amazed when the lion calmed. Quickly, but carefully, Senna and Kachiri removed each of the arrows and sat back.

"Oh, god… those aren't just bullet wounds… I think the bullets are still in there," Kachiri cursed. Senna frowned and sighed. It took them some time, but they finally had a pile of bloody bullets next to them. "We have to get some water into him. You think we can just pour it down his throat?" Zafrina muttered. Kachiri frowned and nodded.

"It's the only choice we have." She zipped off, finding an old clay pot in the temple and a cup before running to the river. When she returned, the lion's massive head was in Zafrina's lap, still completely unconscious. Carefully, Senna opened the lion's mouth and began pouring water into it, Zafrina continually running her fingers through his fur to keep him asleep and calm. Finally, the pot was empty and they relaxed.

"I'll keep an eye on him. You two go finish your hunt," the tallest of the three whispered, keeping the lion's head in her lap. The other two nodded and vanished, searching for poachers.

Weeks passed as they kept their vigil, and they had began early on being back meat of common animals, sliding small slices down the lion's throat in hopes of waking him. It wasn't until the fifth week that he stirred, weakly opening his eyes and looking around. Shock seemed to pass over his features, but he still seemed too weak to truly care. They would have killed him by now, had they wanted to. Still, now that the lion was conscious, he would only let Zafrina near him. She fed him more meat and gave him water every few hours. It was another week before he was strong enough to move, but was only able to roll to lay on his belly, and look around.

"Do you understand me?" Zafrina had asked in her native tongue, to which the lion tilted its head. "Spanish?" She tried again, but again received a somewhat confused look. "English?" Finally a reaction, his ears whipping forward. "You speak English?" Zafrina asked as conformation. A hesitant nod was her response and she relaxed.

"My name is Zafrina, of the Amazon Coven. You have seen my sisters, Senna and Kachiri." She didn't receive much of a response, only a tilted head, but she knew he understood. "Are you able to change back?" He paused a moment before shaking his head. "Do you know how?" Another shake. "Do you remember what you looked like as a human?" Finally a nod. "Try to remember how it felt to be human, and what you looked like. Imagine becoming that."

Nothing happened for a few minutes, the lion only looking down and closing his eyes, but gradually his black and red fur began to ripple, slowly receding back into his skin. His paws slowly becoming humanoid, his body shrinking and bones popping until before the vampire laid…

"You're a woman…" Zafrina gasped, eyes trailing over the tan flesh of the panting woman. Scars littered her back, some words and others whip marks, burns, and the like. Her legs were long and her build was muscular, bordering between lean and bulky. Long red and black hair trailed down her back and when she finally pushed herself to sit up, Zafrina felt her jaw drop as she realized _why_ they had believed the lion to be a male. From the waist up, burn scars covered toned abs and rather small breasts, but between the woman's legs was a rather impressive cock. Zafrina shook her head and looked up at the woman's scared face. Her face looked like once it had been heart shaped, but now was sharp and angular, made of hard lines and lips pressed thin. Finally Zafrina met the eyes of the woman before her and a shock ran through her. Not a mating bond shock, she knew that. Just… literal _shock_. Eyes a mix of red, yellow, and deep, chocolate brown stared back at her.

"What is your name?" Zafrina asked gently, as not to startle the girl.

"Bella. Bella Swan," she responded with a raspy voice, deep for a woman, but not unattractive. She squinted and blinked a couple times, looking around. "W-where am I? How did I get here?"

"We think you ran here. What do you last remember?" The vampire probed gently. Bella pushed herself up on shaky arms and sat up, not seeming to mind her state of undress.

"I was with Jess and my dad… we went to bed… something woke us up. I…" Suddenly it came flooding back. Victoria… her family dying at the crazed vampire's hands, being burned alive and somehow surviving, ripping apart the redhead before her fiancée had died in her arms. As it all came crashing down on her, she curled into herself and let out the most heartbreaking sound Zafrina had ever heard. It was a mixture of a sob, broken scream, and a roar.

It was the sound of a broken woman.

Senna and Kachiri rushed back, finding their Coven mate frantic and confused, the shifter, a woman, curled on the forest floor, hands pulling her hair as she screamed out her loss. Finally, Zafrina tried one last thing and pulled the massive woman into her arms, letting her cry it out into her bare shoulder. Eventually she seemed to calm enough to fall asleep in the cold arms of the vampire, leaving the three red eyed women to figure out what to do.

Their first step would be making the woman, Bella, as Zafrina had supplied, with some clothes. At the least, something to cover her… package.

"We must figure out what happened. I'm not sure if she's a shifter or a werecat. The last lion I saw was about sixty years ago. I believe his name was… Charles?" Senna rubbed her chin.

"Charles Swan, yes. The whole Swan Clan were made of large cats, but the lions were the leaders of the pride."

"Did you say Swan?" Zafrina asked, eyes wide. Kachiri nodded, confused. "Bella's last name is Swan. What does that mean for her?"

"The whole clan was made of werecat-shifter hybrids. Well, basically. It was the best way to describe them. They weren't a mix, but a species all their own. They could shift at will, but the moon gave them power. Some of them could come back from the brink of death, and some even had elemental powers."

"I remember now. Carlisle and his band of animal drinkers nearly made a snack of some of them. We had to put their tribe under protection," Zafrina growled. She never had liked that man.

"This must be the last of the line of them. What would have happened to scar her in such a way, though? They don't scar, not unless it's incredibly bad. As in she almost died bad." Kachiri looked down at the lion, who was in a fitful sleep, and frowned. "What happened to you, little cub?"

XxXxX

Bella woke several hours later in a cold sweat and looked around. Senna was sitting beside a fire, cooking what smelled like meat over it, several pots of water beside her as well. Kachiri was sitting directly behind her, legs on either side of the smaller woman, and arms wrapped under her breasts to hold her close. It took a moment for Bella to realize her head was in Zafrina's lap, cool fingers running through her hair.

"Good, you're awake." The vampire's thick accent filled Bella's ears and she sighed, pushing herself up. "We made you something to wear, and something to eat." Bella looked beside herself to find they had indeed made her what looked like a large loin cloth and chest wrap from furs. "It was the only thing we could make that would be done soon. We will teach you to fashion yourself a part of pants."

"Thank you," the lion rasped, standing on shaky legs and pulling both articles on while the trio of vampires felt shock grip them again. They were tall, each clearing six feet, but Bella looked to be around 6'7, which made them look pretty short in comparison. "I'm sorry about last night. I…" She stopped, pain ripping through her again. She could not finish her sentence and they let it go, ushering over to the fire and urged her to drink some water, which led her to draining two of the three pots. She hadn't realized how thirsty she had been until the first drop touched her lips. They next handed her some meat, soon realizing that while cooked meat soothed her human side, the lion within the woman preferred the raw meat. It also seemed to help the healing process of her scars, some of the burn marks receding before their eyes, though it would be unnoticeable to a human. It was after she had eaten that Zafrina tried to broach the subject once more.

"Bella… please… what happened to you?" she whispered. The lion frowned and looked at her lap, taking a few deep breaths.

"It's a long story."

"We have a lot of time," Senna smiles softly.

"It's not pretty…" she choked. Kachiri set a gentle hand on a tan arm.

"We aren't going to judge you, Bella," she whispered. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"It started my junior year…"

And so she recounted the events that lead her to meeting Edward, the van nearly hitting her, how she figured out they were vampires, James hunting her, her birthday party, and how Edward left her in the forest. At this point the three were livid.

"How _dare_ that ignorant _child_ do such a thing!" Zafrina seethed. "And the laws he broke!"

"I don't give a damn about the laws! How dare he lie about being mated, put his singer in such danger, then leave you in the woods for god's sake!" Senna growled.

"Oh, it gets worse," Bella sighed. Kachiri put a hand on Senna's shoulder to calm her and gave Zafrina a look before urging the lion to continue. So she told them about how her dad had gotten her out of her funk, how she built the truck with him from scratch, and regained confidence she didn't know she had. How she and Jessica had become close and ended up together. Of their engagement and their child. How happy she had become.

Then how Victoria, the Mate of James, had taken that all away. She recounted how each person she loved had died before her, and how her mother and father had to lie to bring out her beast. She told them how she killed Victoria, but not before her lover was bleeding out on the floor.

How even though she had been burned alive, she somehow still became a giant lion. She told them she vaguely remembered the pain of being shot as she ran. Ran from her pain. From her past. From her lost love and most of all, ran from herself.

Senna was livid, the normally quiet and sweet vampire pacing around the fire with black eyes. Kachiri was faring no better, her eyes black as night and hands fisted in the dirt where she sat. Zafrina was torn between wanting to find this boy and his family and wanting to comfort the silently broken woman before her.

"What were their last names? This vampire coven?"

"Cullen's. They were the Cullen's." Snarls rang out. "No use hunting them down. Their long gone. Probably moved halfway across the world. Someday, however… someday I will have my revenge. Cowardly group of idiots. My mom didn't deserve this. Jess and… and my child didn't deserve this. My _father…_ Charlie never deserved this. All he did was love me through it all."

This seemed to focus the amazons. "Charlie? As in Charles Swan?"

"Uhm… yeah, he was Charles Swan Jr. Dad always said grandpa came from South America, I think. Why?"

"We… we knew your grandfather. And your clan."

Zafrina frowned. "Bella, you know nothing or little about your shifting, correct?"

"Correct."

"Would you like to stay with us? We will teach you all we know. How your shifting works, what powers you may have, how to fight, everything. Would you be willing to let us?"

Bella looked at each of the vampires and looked down, thinking. It was a good idea, she was probably presumed dead. She had no home, no family. Jaw set, she looked at the ancient vampires and nodded. "I will stay."

XxXxXxX

 **Okay, so... thoughts? Feelings? Bella will be traveling a bit before reaching Alaska, so submit which covens you want to see in the reviews. Hopefully this works out better than the first posting.**


	4. Growth

Okay, so, here's the update. It's not super long because I wanted to get it up for you guys, but it's a transition chapter into the juicy parts :)

Warnings: Futa, femslash, Polyam relationships, future lemons, lots of swearing, and Dark!Bella

I do not own Twilight, y'all. You know this by now. I do, however, own two black kittens, a scooter, and the literal best bong I have ever owned omg.

XxXxX

"You want me to do what?" Bella deadpinned, her arms folded over her chest. They had taught her to fashion herself a pair of pants, which she wore now, and she still wore animal hide over her chest. Using a knife, Kachiri had helped her cut her hair, mostly on the sides, shaving it down into a long mohawk style. After that she had trimmed up the length so it rested between her shoulders rather than down the middle of her back, allowing it to naturally have a slightly spiky look. Zafrina rolled her eyes at her companion and pointed at the large tree beside them.

"Climb. The damn. Tree," she grit out, tired of arguing. She told her earlier in the afternoon she needed to climb the tree as part of her training. It was hours later and she hadn't even started.

"How is climbing a tree part of training? I did that as a kid." Even now in the face of a slowly angering vampire, no emotion entered Bella's voice. Zafrina visibly softened, realizing this was one of the lion's bad days.

"Then this shouldn't be a problem. Now climb the fucking tree, Bella." Bella sighed and shrugged, ready to jump up when Zafrina stopped her. "As fair as you can get, no claws." Bella stopped dead and frowned, trying to figure out how to do that when the base was wider than she was tall. She flicked her eyes around in confusion before she spotted a branch about 20 feet up, but had the feeling she wouldn't make that jump. Searching the tree's trunk, she spotted a notch about 10 feet up and quickly did a mental calculation before taking a running leap, catching the notch with her fingers digging painfully into the bark. With a soft growl of effort, she swung her body up and around to launch another 5 feet up, digging her fingers and toes into the bark.

"Are you gonna tell her about the partial shifting?" Senna asked quietly, watching their charge look up at the branch just out of reach as if thinking it through.

"No, this is meant to both build strength, but also force her to learn her new abilities. Though, I admit, I've never seen one of her kind simply… dig into the bark. That takes a good amount of strength. I can't help being impressed with her…" Kachiri tilted her head, joining the other two women, a drop of blood traveling slowly from the corner of her mouth. Senna gave a rare giggle and kissed the blood away, making Kachiri look almost ready to blush before smiling softly at the other woman. Together the three women looked back up at Bella to see her lower just a little before launching herself powerfully up to grab the branch, swinging up to crouch on it. She flipped her hair back out of her face, red, yellow and brown eyes flicking along the tree a bit before she quickly launched up another four levels of branches. The vampires watched as she moved 20 more feet into the enormous tree before she looked down at them, crouched on the branch and grabbing it with both hands in a fashion that resembled a chameleon, though Zafrina bit her lip as she realized the stance made Bella look quite handsome in an almost wild way.

"How far do you want me to go up?" she asked evenly.

"Until the tree ends, or you get tired. Whichever comes first," Senna called, grinning wolfishly. The other two chuckled, glad that the normally stoic woman was opening up to their new charge. Bella growled playfully, but was met with a new internal determination. She knew if she ever wanted to find and kill Laurent, or get her revenge on the Cullens, she would need to be stronger.

Bunny munching bunch of ball sacks… cuz those are definitely weaker than pussies… one kick you're down…

With a low simmering of rage fueling her strength, she climbed the tree another fifty feet before stopping to take a break. These trees were enormous, some over 200 feet tall, though Bella knew she was halfway up this one, so it could only be 100 feet. She panted a little, leaning back against the trunk to catch her breath before he continued on, impressing her small audience. Finally, nearly four hours after she had begun, she reached the top most branches and took a moment to look around. She barely breached the canopy on this tree, but she could see a great deal of the rainforest and marveled at its beauty.

That is, until her newly improved eyesight spotted one of the trees falling far too close to their territory, followed moments later by the sound of a chainsaw. With a growl she let herself drop, falling in 20 foot intervals until she was crouched in front of her vampire coven, her serious face stopping the congratulations that were about to fall from their mouths.

"We have a problem," she growled. They all took on serious demeanors before nodding.

"Lead the way." Like jets they were off, racing through the trees. With Bella's darker skin tone, she truly looked like one of the Amazons, so when they charged into the loggers camp, having agreed they needed to scare them away, if not simply kill them, the superstitious members fled for their lives, screaming about the fabled Amazon women they feared, while the rest attempted to fight the four. Bella took unusual joy in tearing her claws through one particularly idiotic man.

How dare they destroy our forest! With a snarl, the four women finished their task, letting a couple run as to warn others. They did nothing to reveal vampires, as there were already legends of terrifying Amazon women that protected the land. Zafrina and Senna both took at least one of the dead as a meal, simply as not to waste. Bella shrugged, deciding they were right in their assessment, and shifted into her massive lion form, stretching slowly and letting out a massive yawn before shaking out her mane. With careful movements, she slashed claws through the bodies, making everything look like an animal attack before sitting down and licking her paws while the vampires finished. While standing she was about 6' at the shoulder, sitting down Zafrina only reached Bella's chest, showing just how massive she was all over again.

"Are you done, Bell?" The lion chuffed and stood, stretching again before walking with the three back to their home. After a hesitant request from Senna, Bella stopped and let the vampire climb on her back, not truly minding now. Had she asked her three months ago, or even a month, Bella would have refused. Now however, she was trusting of the three, so let the other two laugh at the look of joy on Senna's face when she took of at a run, zig zagging through the forest and stopping only to greet a few wild cats she recognized, bumping heads and purring. Jaguars mostly, as they often came to finish off whatever meal she couldn't. They were at first weary of her sheer mass, but soon came to trust the massive cat.

As months turned into years, Bella's strength and ability grew, muscle soon replacing malnourishment as she took on rigorous exercises. It wasn't until her tenth year in the forest that she decided it was time for her to move on. She needed to find Laurent, before he was dust in the wind.

"This isn't goodbye," she assured her coven in their native tongue, having learned it a long time ago. She looked at them each; Senna who had become something of a sibling for her, Kachiri an almost parental figure, and Zafrina who had become her closest confidant and friend.

"It better not be, Pussycat," Kachiri teased, hugging the taller woman. "We expect you to visit again in no more than a century."

"Yes, ma'am," Bella laughed, catching Senna as she launched herself into her arms. "I'll miss you, too, Senna."

"Be careful, not all vampires are like us, you could get hurt. And if you find the Cullens, you better call for us. I want a piece of them, too!"

Bella chuckled and nodded, setting her down and catching Zafrina in a tight hug, the other woman melting into her. "We love you, Bell. If you ever need to come back, even to just relax and escape the world, you come anytime. We'll feel you coming."

"I will, Zaf. I will. I love you guys, too."

"Where will you head first?" Kachiri asked with a tilt of her head. Bella shrugged as she prepared to shift.

"I think I'll look around Mexico for a bit, then head overseas. Maybe africa for a while, hang out with some other lions," Bella chuckled before getting one last hug from the girls and shifting, grabbing her ransack in her teeth before bolting into the forest, paws ghosting over the dirt and leaves as she melted into the trees.

XxXxX

Okay, short, I know, but at least it's an update, and I will be working on Howling at the Moon next so heads up on that.

I haven't done this in a while so heres some replies!

SuBeeskreus: Fear not, Bella will not be a Mary Sue. She does have increased grace and power, I will give you that, but she still has a lot to learn and a lot to train with, and she doesn't yet know her weakness because the Amazons didn't even know. As the story progresses, however, she will learn more about herself and her limits. I hope this update gives everyone some hope for our Bella's future :)

Mablung12: That's the plan eventually lol and thank you!

Snixxjuice214: Psst... hey... look where she headed next tho...

BrandonAlpha18: Nice user lol and thank you!

Sahara: I can't take all the credit lol this was a request. But thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

KickassRikudouSenninNaruto: Ayyyyyeeeee *finger guns*

Alright, Sk8rgrl out!


	5. Slow Burn

Okay, so, here's the update. It's not super long because I wanted to get it up for you guys, but it's a transition chapter into the juicy parts :)

Warnings: Futa, femslash, Polyam relationships, future lemons, lots of swearing, and Dark!Bella

TRIGGER WARNING IN THIS CHAPTER there will be mentions of rape, but brief, and minimal detail.

I do not own Twilight, y'all. You know this by now. I do, however, own two black kittens, a scooter, and the literal best bong I have ever owned omg.

XxXxX

Bella had been running for a few days when she broke the border of Mexico and decided to shift back. It was the dead of night, so under the cover of darkness she pulled on her leathers, realizing she would need to upgrade her wardrobe. Her leathers were fine for the forest, but normal clothes would be needed now. With a resigned sigh, knowing she had no money, she headed to the nearest town and began to seek out a store. She wouldn't dare hit one that looked run down, or in desperate need of the money. This area was definitely lower class.

She was just about to give up when a muffled scream met her ears, followed by the scent of blood and a vampire. Curiosity got the best of her and she scaled a building and followed along the rooftops to the scent, finding a small vampire feeding on a well dressed man. Despite her silent approach, she knew her scent had found the vampiress as she finished and looked up. Bella waited silently, not wishing for a fight, and was mildly surprised when the vampire didn't react strongly. She was obviously hispanic in decent, black hair only falling just past her shoulders and eyes a bright crimson. She observed Bella with a tilted head and Bella tilted hers in return, hair falling to the side.

"What are you doing in my territory, child?" Her voice was somewhat rough, as if holding back a growl, and Bella bowed her head. Her instincts screamed that she challenge the authority pushed toward her, but she knew it wouldn't be smart. This was not her land.

"I was unaware the territory was claimed, I apologize. I was simply trying to pass through."

Silence fell over them and Maria knelt beside her victim, searching through his pockets and finding his wallet before throwing his body in the nearest dumpster and setting it alight. She looked back up at the woman on the roof and noticed her odd style of clothing.

"You can come down, I won't attack you. It's clear you aren't here to attack me." Bella nodded and jumped down, landing catlike before she stood straight, towering over the other woman by at least a full foot. "I am Maria," the vampire offered with a curious smile.

"My name is Bella. Maria, as in the war lord?" Bella received a nod in response and a confused look.

"It would seem word still gets around, even in other supernatural communities."

"Oh, no, I heard about you from another vampire. You may remember him? Major Whitlock." Maria growled, her fang lengthening and eyes dark crimson.

"Simpering idiot of a man. You're associated with him?!" Bella held up her hands in surrender.

"No, god no. It's a bit of a long story, but I wouldn't come near him or his family," Bella spat the word like it disgusted her, and it did, "With a 50 foot pole."

Maria assessed the creature before her and nodded toward the edge of the city. "Would you like to come to my home? It would seem we have much to talk about, and it would be much safer there." Bella hesitated a moment. "I'm not going to hurt you, girl. I simply wish to have a conversation. I don't get much company nowadays." With a shrug, Bella nodded, following the little vampire to her home.

XxXxX

Maria took in the information, though minimal, that Bella gave her with a deep frown followed by a low growl. Basically, she now knew the Cullens as a whole had broken several laws, including a false mate claim, informing a human (as far as they knew) of the existence of vampires, leaving said human alive and unchanged, and killing one mate and leaving the other. As for this redheaded vampire, she had clearly fallen into her own madness. She didn't miss the almost gleeful look in the woman's eyes as she told her of how she killed the vampire.

"So now I'm on the search for Laurent," she stated hollowly, dead eyes meeting Maria's. "Have you caught wind of him? He's african american, dreadlocks, french accent?"

Maria rubbed her chin and nodded. "He came through about a year ago, caused quite a mess for me. I made him leave and threatened to report him should he continue. I haven't seen him since, but he did head for the sea, I believe."

Bella stayed a few days with the war lord, mostly to wait for the boat. She planned, thanks to Maria, to stow away on the next boat out. They thought maybe the vampire had swam to the nearest land from their location, Africa. Maria had many connections, so Bella's journey was supposed to be easy. A handsome sum of money gained her access to the boat. The day she boarded, the crewmen nearly pissed themselves at the sight of the large, muscular woman. She sat in a corner, tucked away on the deck as the crew went about getting the boat ready to sail. Though initially they were rather terrified of the woman, about an hour into their journey, they seemed to grow a set and sent passing remarks at Bella, commenting on her state of dress, telling her what they wanted to do to her, and she wanted desperately to show them just exactly why she wasn't in any way impressed with them.

 _I'm probably bigger than them, anyway._

It took a month to reach the shore, and Bella was off the boat before most of the crew could comprehend where she went. She needed a good run, and quickly made her way through the crowds and out of the city. The hot pavement turned to sand and normally her feet would be burning, but after her change her skin had become much tougher, the heat coming off the ground in literal waves not affecting her at all. She jogged at a rather human pace until she knew she was well out of sight of any mortal, then shifted, the magic of her kind allowing her clothes to vanish into her fur, ready to reappear when she shifted back. After a slow stretch, her bones popping, she picked up her ransack again in her teeth and took off, scenting the area as she ran. She traveled the area for a few days, hunting sparingly and dumping the remains near a pride of lions she found that had young cubs. It was on her fourth day that she caught a scent that sent a deep growl ripping through her.

 _He's near…_

It didn't take her but a few hours after this to spot him. He man was leaving the city limits, having just fed judging by the fresh scent of blood on him, and Bella followed him, keeping enough distance that he couldn't see her, but still close enough that he felt her presence. He stopped often, looking around with weary eyes, but continued on. Finally he stopped and growled.

"Who are you?!" he snarled. "Show yourself!"

Bella came into his view, anger burning in her eyes despite her calm stance. Laurent growled, the sound somewhat like a kitten compared to Bella's answering growl. "What do you want, mongrel?!"

 _Heh… hasn't a clue who I am…_

Bella decided against pleasantries and pounced, her inner cat delighted that she had missed just enough for him to dodge away and run. Bella did love a good game of cat and mouse. She swatted at him as they ran through the grasslands, but eventually she tired of her game and lunged, sinking her teeth deeply into his leg and biting it clean off at the knee. The vampire screamed and fell, scrambling with a new level of fear away from his death. He didn't even register Bella shifting back behind him until a foot pressed into his back and a voice filled his ears that, though different now, sent shivers down his spine.

"Wherever are you going, Laurent? We're just getting started…"

 _Impossible…_

He was flipped over, a foot placed on his neck, and he gazed up at the girl they had destroyed, the girl he thought had long ago burned, and fear froze his body. Isabella Swan stood above him looking like an avenging angel, or perhaps a demon would be a better description. Her mohawk of hair blew back in the wind, her body once pale now sunkissed and rippling with barely contained muscle. Her eyes burned a dark brown, silver and red flashing within the endless pits and face twisted into a sadistic mix of a grin and snarl.

For the first time in his long life, he truly feared for his life.

"B-Bella?"

"Hello, Laurent, surprised to see me?" She tutted and shook her head, picking up his discarded leg that had previously been ripped off. "I heard that even once detached, you can still feel pain in your limbs…" His eyes widened and he grabbed her ankle, trying to push it off his neck as she grinned, unfazed. Her canines were sharpened to points now and he wondered silently what the hell she was… "Shall we test that?" Without more warning, she grabbed one of his toes and ripped it clean off, earning a scream from the pinned vampire. "Ah, so it's true," she cackled, ripping off each toe one by one and relishing the screams she caused. Making quick work of it, she pulled off his other three limbs and sat down beside his body, starting a fire and chatting with him as if she wasn't about to barbecue him.

"Release me, you fucking monster!" he yelled as the flames reached the point that he knew his life was about to end. Bella rounded on him, her eyes flashing, and he gulped again.

"I'm the monster? You aided Victoria in capturing my family, my mom, my dad, stepfather, my fiance… she was pregnant, you insolent bastard! You took everything I loved away from me. I know you tortured them when Victoria was killing one of them. If I'm a _monster_ , I'm no more than the product of what you _created_." Her voice was deadly calm, void of emotion as she smirked, throwing one of his toes in the fire. "It's rather ironic, don't you think, that Victoria and now you will die the same way you attempted to kill me?" she spoke as he screamed, feeling his body parts burn as she tossed them one by one into the fire. "It's sad, really, that your in so much pain. We haven't even gotten to the fun parts." With that, she began tossing fingers into the fire, relishing each agonizing scream. With a cackle of glee, she threw a hand into the fire, enjoying the higher pitched scream it earned her from the vampire.

"What's wrong, Laurent, you don't like Barbeque?" she chuckled as she tossed his other hand into the fire, the answering scream ringing through the grasslands. As she tossed larger parts into the fire, watching the slow burn it created, his screams got louder and louder, especially when she threw his thigh in. Once he was rendered a limbless, panting mess on the ground, she turned to him once more, her eyes darkening slowly until they were black pits of anger.

"Now… tell me the truth, leech… did you harm my mother and fiance?" Laurent stumbled over his words until her hand wrapped around his throat, lifting him clean off the ground.

"Y-yes!" he whimpered.

"How?" she growled lowly. He once again stumbled over his words until that hand tightened and he had a burst of defiance.

He was centuries old, he would not be bested by a child!

Of course, he seemingly forgot to take into account that he was nothing but a torso and head when he spat out his next words.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he growled back, smirking at the deeper color Bella's eyes took, and the snarl on her face. "I can see why you chose that girl. Even looking like a whale, about to pop, she had a body to die for," Bella let out a deep growl, but he continued. "And she was so tight around my-" His words cut off in a gurgled scream as sharp claws dug into his groin, right above his member, and before he could process what happened, his member had been ripped clean off his body.

"You mean this?" Bella growled, her voice deeper, a constant growl leaving her throat and Laurent's fear returned as his dick was thrown into the fire with little care.

His scream could have shaken the ground and only when they died out again did the lion throw the rest of him into the now purple fire, head and all, relishing the screaming that lasted a good minute and a half as the man was burned slowly. Bella waited for the fire to die down some before putting it out and turning into a lion once more, stalking silently through the grasslands. She had drawn Laurent's death out for nearly three days, and was rather hungry. She knew she would need to be patient, and soon after she began her search she found a herd of wildebeests, grazing peacefully. Bella easily spotted two lionesses also stalking their prey and waited for them to strike. They looked thin, sickly even, and sure enough the herbivores easily outran them. Bella leapt from her spot, easily taking down three of them. Turning back, she saw the caution the lionesses gave off and nudged one of the carcasses toward them. Hesitantly, they came forward and began to eat, though were stopped moments in when a large male approached, five cubs following him. He tried to push them away but Bella raised her large maned head and growled at him. It was clear he had been eating well, and though Bella knew it was in a lion's nature for the cubs and male to eat their fill first, she knew the lionesses needed the food more at the moment. The cubs cautiously stepped forward and she allowed them to join the lionesses.

The male began to roar at her, showing his dominance, but Bella's roar easily outshined his. She had no intention to take his pride, and simply began to eat her own meal, sticking close to the lionesses and cubs as she did. The male paced back and forth, roaring at her as he waited his turn, and she rolled her eyes before nudging her half eaten meal toward him, starting on the third and sharing it with the still hungry pride. It seemed this caused a truce of sorts between the male and shifter, as there was minimal fighting after that.

XxXxX

Okay, short, but I'm working like a madwoman right now so this is all I have time to get out.

When will Bella find her true love?

This is a complicated question, but the basic answer is not for several chapters. She has a lot of growing to do as a person and as a shifter. She has to come to terms with herself before she can be with someone. Introducing her love interests now would cause a lot of emotional problems all around.


	6. Flames

Okay, so, here's the update. It's not super long because I wanted to get it up for you guys, but it's a transition chapter into the juicy parts :)

Warnings: Futa, femslash, Polyam relationships, future lemons, lots of swearing, and Dark!Bella

TRIGGER WARNING IN THIS CHAPTER Bella has a serious nightmare coming up in here and idk if that triggers anyone but i felt the warning was needed

I do not own Twilight, y'all. You know this by now. I do, however, own a scooter, and the literal best bong I have ever owned omg and a fucking new dab rig yall it's tiny and adorable and i named her bubble butt

XxXxX

A cold nose against her face woke Bella rather early in the morning. She cracked one eye open to see it was one of the young cubs that woke her, tail flicking back and forth as he meow/roared at her. She let out a chuff of laughter and sat up, her own tail flicking back and forth as she let out a loud yawn. She had stayed with the small pride and become something of a protector to them, chasing other males away easily. The passage of time was slipping from her, as she had stayed in her lion form the entire time. She did know, however, that it must have been at least a couple years. The pride had grown, now with seven females, and there had been two more litters of cups, the one before her being one of the newest. Though, two females were pregnant now. With another chuff of laughter, she laid down and began playing with the young male, letting him climb all over her massive body as he bit and played, even playing along so he thought he was winning. For the hell of it, Bella had named the lions in the pride, so she could keep them straight in her head. The male was Mufasa, of course, while the female that had been here first was Sarabi. The seven new ones were Nala, Kira, Merida, Lilly, Jessie and Diana and Jackie.

It wasn't long before the three other cubs came running up to her, followed by Sarabi. They joined their brother in playing with Bella while Sarabi bumped her head against Bella's, purring in greeting. While the pride mostly stayed in the den at night, Bella always laid outside it, keeping guard of the entrance. There had been many a poacher, and they would not get her pride, that much she was sure of. Mufasa was the last to leave the den, licking Sarabi's head in greeting before bumping heads with Bella. The size difference between them was almost comical, as she was nearly three times his size, but the pride had grown used to it, gladly taking the large lions protection. For the most part, they didn't really do much that morning. It was too early for most of the prey animals to be moving around too much, and Bella liked the challenge of lively prey. When the sun reached its highest point, she headed out with three of the females, Sarabi, Jackie, and Kira, for a hunt. They knew Bella didn't need the help, but they enjoyed watching the lion work and knew they could possibly take down one themselves. It took only an hour of searching through the desert with Bella's keen sense of smell for them to find a herd of Wildebeest, and the lions hunkered down. They knew their roles, and the three females surrounded the herd before the ambush began. Jackie, the youngest of the lionesses, launched from her crouch, scattering the herd and causing one to run right to Sarabi and Kira. Bella ran after one of the larger males and easily took them down with a sharp bite to the neck before she took down the next closest one as the lionesses took down one of their own. Bella quickly ate the smaller one before picking the other two up in her jaws and carrying them back to the den.

XxXxX

Another week passed and found Bella once again watching over her pride when she picked up the sound of fast footfalls. This was no animal, and though the steps sounded human, they were far too fast and silent to be so.

Vampires…

She growled and instructed the lions to hide in their den, standing protectively in front of it. They were definitely heading her way, and she wasn't about to go down without a fight. Her trust in Vampires was limited to the Amazons and a small amount to Maria, but these scents were new. There were four of them, and she briefly asked herself is she was prepared before realizing her training had indeed prepared her for this.

They slowed as they reached her and she crouched low, ears back as she trained her eyes in the direction they would come from. Finally they appeared, a somewhat tall man leading them. His hair was black and he was clearly of African descent, a thick, well kept goatee adorning his face while his dress spoke of royalty. The woman beside him was clearly his mate, her hair black with a slight red tint to it. She wore fine silks, coupled with a sharp jaw and cheekbones gave her a dangerous and severe look. Behind them was a younger boy, early twenties maybe, with shorter black hair, a handsome and boyish face, and kind eyes. His mate also seemed to be kinder, eyes soft as she gazed at Bella. She and her mate wore the same silky style of dress, though they also wore scarves around their necks. The first man, likely the leader, glared at her as he stepped forward.

"What are you doing here, shifter?!" he barked, causing her to growl. She was no mere shifter, for one. He growled back, though it was like a kitten's when compared to the deep rumble from Bella's chest.

"Amun, he's not be hostile…" the younger of the women started, only to be cut off by the other woman's growl. A deep growl sounded beside Bella and she watched in horror as Mufasa tried to attack the vampires. In the blink of an eye she launched forward, snatching him from the air by the scruff of his neck and pulling him back as Amun went to slice his nails through his fur. She growled at him and turned slightly to place him back in the den with a soft growl, making him stay put before turning to the others.

"Kebi's right, Amun. You see, he's protecting the lions," the younger man stated, watching Bella with interest.

"We are no threat to the lions. Do I look like a filthy _Cullen_ to you, Benjamin?!"

Benjamin nodded his head and frowned. "I know that, but he doesn't. Maybe approach this with more… kindness?"

"Then you talk to him, if you know so much!" Amun growled and stepped aside, waving his hand in Bella's direction. Bella watched as the younger man slowly approached her, his hands up in a surrender position.

"Will you change back so we can talk? I don't want to hurt you, we just have some questions?" Bella eyed him a moment before making a few chuffing noises. Sarabi came out moments later carrying an old, worn ransack, bumping her head against Bella's neck before dropping the back and returning to the den. She understood the lion was only trying to protect them, and while she wished to help, like Mufasa had, she felt these creatures were beyond her own strength. Bella eyed them another moment before taking the bag in her teeth and stepping out of view a moment. It took her a moment, but she was able to shift back and quickly pulled on her leather pants and makeshift bra before stepping back out to greet the coven of vampires. The shock they showed was amusing, to say the least.

"Where is the male?" Amun asked tensely, flicking his eyes about.

"I can understand your confusion," Bella stated calmly, refusing to show how tense she was. Her voice was raspy from lack of use, but she got her point across. "But I was the lion you just saw. The name's Bella. Now, what is this all about?" She directed the last part at Benjamin and he shook off his own shock quickly.

"We've smelt your scent over the last few years, but it seems you were unaware you were in a marked territory. What are you doing here?"

"You're right, I wasn't aware. I mean you no harm, I was simply enjoying my time with…" she glanced back at the den. "Well, as close to my own kind as I can get. I don't intend to cause anyone any trouble, I'm just passing through."

"Five years for you is passing through?" the older woman sniffed, crossing her arms. Bella felt a shock run through her system at this, as she hadn't realized so much time had passed, but she shrugged.

"I didn't know it had been so long. Time has little meaning to animals, and I've spent that time in my shifted form." Benjamin eyed her a moment before nodding.

"Amun, we have more important things to worry about. She's not here to harm us, we still have to find that bastard Laurent."

Bella raised an eyebrow. "You might find him, if any ashes are left after five years. What did he do to you guys?"

Amun's mate froze. "You… you killed him?"

"He helped murder my family, and raped my fiance. Yeah, I killed him."

Amun set a hand on his mate's shoulder as she began visibly shaking. "Tia?" His eyes softened and brought her into his arms. Benjamin and Kebi looked at Bella and smiled.

"Thank you. He came to us years ago to stay a bit. He was there three days and Amun took me into the desert to train me better while Kebi was hunting. Tia was left alone with him and he had a power we didn't know of. He… he did the same to her that he did to your woman. We've been searching for his cowardly ass ever since."

"He had a gift?" Bella frowned, crossing her arms.

"Control. He could turn anyone, no matter their mental strength, into his personal slave."

"I couldn't even fight him…" Tia mumbled brokenly and Amun growled lowly at the thought of the pain his mate was going through, what she _had_ gone through. Hesitantly at first, Bella felt a swell of compassion for the vampire and stepped forward, seeking permission from Amun before setting a gentle hand on the smaller woman's back. She was rather shocked when the vampire's body slammed into hers in a fierce hug moments later, sobs shaking her body. Bella wrapped her arms around her and let her cry, not surprised when Sarabi wondered out, feeling the lack of danger, and sniffed Bella and Tia before rubbing her head against the woman's side, offering her own comfort.

"Tell me one thing, Bella…" Tia mumbled into her skin and the lion grunted. "Was his death slow?"

"I slowly burned his body parts over the course of several days. He screamed the whole time."

The vampires all growled in satisfaction and Tia squeezed her torso. "Thank you."

"I didn't do it for you," she said, though not unkindly. "Had I known he had continued such acts, I would have drawn it out more. But I'm glad I can ease your pain. What he did was… inexcusable, and vial. people like him deserve to be wiped from society."

They decided to sit and talk for a time. Bella hadn't spoken to people in quite some time and soon she was surrounded by her pride as they spoke, Mufasa laying protectively to her right while the lionesses surrounded them. The cubs alternated between climbing all over Bella, to laying in her lap and around her, to sniffing and investigating the coven of vampires. Several hours later Amun made a shocking suggestion.

"Would you like to stay with us for a time? You said you're still trying to find out your elemental power, and I'm sure Benjamin would be happy to help you with that, and I'm also sure you wouldn't mind being… 'human' for a while."

"How could Benjamin help me?"

The boy in question smiled proudly. "I have a gift as well. I can control the elements." Bella raised an eyebrow at this and debated with herself a moment before nodding. To their surprise, when they stood, the lions followed them. Bella scratched the back of her neck and nodded to them.

"I know it's a bit odd, but I think they were hoping to come as well."

"We'll leave a scent trail, stay with them and help them follow it. Our home isn't far by our speeds, but it may take you a few hours with them," Tia smiled before leaving them to follow. Bella chuckled and stripped down, filling her bag again before shifting and watching as the lionesses picked up the cubs by their scruffs before following her at a slower pace.

XxXxX

The following months were surprisingly easy. Bella grew close to Tia and Benjamin. The first day she was there, he showed her his powers.

 _"So, show me these powers of yours?" Bella grinned, sitting cross-legged in front of him as he grinned gleefully, holding out his hand and producing a small ball of swirling water, seemingly pulling the moisture from the air. Bella grinned, matching Benjamin's level of excitement. He then let it dissipate as he summoned four small pebbles into his palm, swirling them in a circle before letting one shoot toward Bella, who easily caught it, bouncing now as he moved to air, blowing a strong enough gust at her to ruffle her hair before producing a small ball of flames that seemed to hover over his palm. He then touched each finger to the fire and they came back with a smaller flame._

 _"Oh, but it gets better!" Benjamin grinned, concentrating a moment before the flames began to jump from finger to finger. Bella grinned again and clapped._

 _"Benjamin, when we figure out which element I control, will you teach me?"_

 _"Of course!" the vampire laughed. "But I'm still learning myself, so it may be slow."_

 _"Anything you teach me will be more than I know now, I won't complain." They grinned at each other and Bella reached forward to playfully ruffle his hair. He laughed again, extinguishing the flames before swatting at her. They ended up having a short, playful scuffle before Amun called them into the home._

It was strange for the vampires at first, having a shifter and a pride of lions around their home, but they came to enjoy it. It wasn't unlikely for Amun to find his mate and the lion sitting on the couch together, simply reading, with Tia leaning back into Bella's side as they read. Ever since Bella had joined them, though they all knew it was only for a short time, Tia's mental state had improved. It was clear the lion made her feel a little safer, and that feeling of safety extended to Benjamin and Kebi. Even Amun, as old and powerful as he was, could not help the feelings of safety the lion provided.

At the moment, Bella was asleep on the couch, her head on Tia's thigh as she slept. They were no stranger to the girl's nightmares, seemingly flashbacks of a time long ago, but this night was different. She had begun thrashing about, and nothing they had done could wake her. Tia ran a hand through her hair and frowned, feeling her forehead before a rather violent thrash had her yanking her hand back.

"She's burning up, more than normal!" she muttered. Kebi's eyes widened and she set her own hand on the lion's skin before yanking Tia out from under her.

"Get back!"

"What?" Tia's voice became frantic as she worried for her friend.

"Benjamin's skin heats up just like that before he summons fire."

The vampire in question raised an eyebrow. He hadn't known that, but it did make him watch Bella more closely. Before their eyes the skin of her hands, feet, and around her eyes reddened before she jumped up, seeming to transform in midair. Her hands, wrists, and feet were suddenly covered in fire, her eyes looked like liquid fire, splotches leaving trails when she moved her head, and her long mohawk of hair seemed to transform into living fire. The vampires scrambled back as she let out a roar of anger and fear.

"Bella…?" Benjamin started slowly, but she whipped her head to look at him, her fangs dropped and biting into her bottom lip as she snarled, and he wisely stopped talking. Though looking back they should have expected it, Tia stood and slowly walked toward her.

"Bella… Bella it's us. You remember us, we're your friends…" Bella's face remained in a snarl, but she didn't move. Tia moved closer still. "You're okay… you're safe…" the flaming girl's chest rose and fell with each breath, smoke curling from her nostrils. Tia set a gentle hand on Bella's cheek and watched the girl relax, closing her eyes. "I won't let them ever hurt you again…" Finally the flames began to die out, her hair returning to normal first, then her eyes, fangs, hands, and finally feet. The lion collapsed into Tia's arms and hugged her tightly, sobbing.

"Ben…" Amun spoke softly, as to not disturb them. "Has she told you what happened to her?"

"No… but I get the feeling we're going to want to kill whoever did this."

Amun couldn't agree more.

XxXxX

It had been another two months, and Bella hadn't spoken a word of what caused her nightmares. She had a remarkable learning curve, however, as Benjamin had began to focus on her fire element and they were at the point they could… well… play with the fire. At the moment Bella was laughing with joy as she and Benjamin tossed a ball of fire between them. It was silly, but the purpose was for Bella to focus on holding the fire's shape and keep it moving. The rest of the coven was watching from the front of their home, the pride of lions relaxing around them. Mufasa had grown rather attached to Amun, which surprised Bella but the older vampire genuinely seemed to enjoy the lion's presence.

Everything with their game was going well, until Ben nearly missed catching the ball, instead kicking it high into the air. A gust of wind blew it into the other vampire's direction and it started heading straight for Tia. Bella growled, running at a speed they hadn't yet seen her ever reach, jumping and slamming her hands around the ball of fire, putting it out right before it hit her friend. She ran a hand through her hair and looked at her friends.

"You guys okay?"

Tia just blinked, not quite computing what just happened. "You… you're so fast…"

Bella blushed and shrugged. "But are you okay?"

Tia nodded and smiled at the shifter. They decided to call it a day with training and headed inside. Tia immediately plopped down beside Bella on the couch, leaning into her warmth while Amun sat beside her, letting her throw her legs over his lap. Everyday Bella couldn't help being surprised that he was so calm about letting his mate practically sit in her lap. She had asked him about it once, and he just smiled and said he trusted his mate, and he trusted Bella.

 _"Even if something did happen, it wouldn't bug me. She would still come back to my bed, I don't feel threatened by you, and I know you wouldn't ever attempt to steal my mate from me."_

It was a stark contrast to Edward, how possessive he was. If he had it his way, Bella never would have left his side, day or night.

She sighed and rested her head against the back of the couch, closing her eyes. "Guys… I think… I think it's time I told you why my nightmares are so bad…"

She could feel the shift in the room. The energy changed from playful and calm to tense and concerned in a matter of seconds. Bella felt Tia put a hand on her thigh and she sighed again, letting the touch ground her as she began her story. Everything. From meeting Edward, to him revealing himself and trying to scare her away, to the party, the Cullens leaving, to Jessica and her pregnancy. Kebi stopped her there, confused.

"Wait… if you guys had been together so long, how could she be pregnant?"

Bella blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. "The baby was mine…"

Understanding dawned on them and they nodded, encouraging her to continue. She pushed through the last bits of the story, shaking somewhat and by the end of it all four vampires were growling lowly, eyes black as pitch.

"Those… those FUCKING _BUNNY MUNCHING_ PIECES OF _SHIT_!" Tia growled.

Bella couldn't help it. She started laughing. She started and couldn't stop.

Soon enough the others couldn't help giggling with her, amused and happy that she had seemed to calm down. They each made vows to themselves that they would always be there for their new friend. She wouldn't ever have to deal with such pain again, not as long as they had her back.

XxXxX

Okay, so addressing jh831, you asked me why i called Laurent african american. I'll be totally honest on this one, I forgot he was french, and I just autopilot typed african american. I'm not trying to offend anyone here, and I'm deeply sorry if I did. So my apologies :)

Sorry again for such short chapters, life is kind of hectic right now, but I'm just trying to get updates to every story and keep y'all entertained lol

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. What are your thoughts on the whole Bella/Tia friendship going on? lol


	7. Royals

Hey, guys! Long time no see but here I am! Been working like hell, but I'm gonna try to get back to a normal schedule soon enough. Enjoy!

Warnings: Futa, polyam relationships, future lemons, lots of swearing and Dark!Bella

I don't own twilight or any twilight things!

XxXxX

Years passed and Bella stayed with the Egyptian coven, reviling in the trust and security offered by the vampires. Before she fully believed that she would never trust another vampire, but now she was a part of the Amazon coven, as well as the Egyptian coven, as Tia had proudly and firmly stated to her. The lions remained with them, and the shifter often spent nights curled up around new cubs, protecting the pride with a sense of fulfillment. Her maternal instincts had never died after her family had, and she happily channeled it into the lions surrounding her. All seemed to be going well, until Amun returned one afternoon with a grave, frightened face. Instantly the were all at attention, even Bella, though she was still in lion form. Tia zipped over to him and took his hand. "What is it, Amun?" She whispered, though she knew they all could hear her clearly. The older vampire sighed and looked directly at Bella.

"The Volturi wish to meet our new member. They are on the way now." His voice trembled, though Bella's head whipped to look at the door in a second, ears forward.

"No, we're already here," a woman's voice sounded, and the vampires stiffened while Bella tilted her head, swirling eyes fixed on the two new additions to the room. The first, the one who had spoken, was merely five feet tall, maybe shorter, with short, pin straight blonde hair, ruby red eyes, and a permanent scowl. The man beside her dwarfed her at six feet, at least. His black hair and red eyes both stood out against his pale skin, and he was rippling with barely contained muscle.

"Jane, Felix," Amun greeted, receiving a curt nod in return.

"We have no time for pleasantries, Amun. Shifter, change back." Bella raised one furry eyebrow at the command and Benjamin covered his eyes with one hand, waiting for the angry outburst from the lion. Instead, she chuffed and stood, ears brushing the ceiling before she shifted seamlessly back, her clothes still perfectly intact.

"I don't really like being commanded, but I'll allow it. This time." Bella's voice seemed to boom with authority, despite her knowledge that she wasn't in charge here. She hadn't quite figured that out yet. "Now, what is this about? I do not believe I have done anything to draw the attention of the Volturi in the nearly 20 years since I last heard of you?"

"We were alerted that there was a new member of this coven by an… anonymous source. It was only right for us to check the lead out. It would seem they were right. Clearly you are no werewolf, though."

Bella growled and scoffed. "I beg you not to compare me to those mongrels. Lions are much more… sophisticated."

Jane smirked. She liked this cat. She had spunk. "Then, pray tell, what are you?"

"I am a member of the Swan Tribe. We are not shifters, nor are we werecats. We are a species all our own."

Jane nodded and Felix tilted his head. "Be that as it may, I fear our kings may wish to meet you." Amun's heart dropped. "You and two members may join you. We expect you on the air strip in no less than three hours." Without another word, they vanished. Bella crossed her arms, the muscles flexing powerfully before settling again. She turned to the frightened vampires and shrugged.

"That went well."

"Well? WELL?!" Amun rushed forward, standing directly in front of her. "They are taking you to Voltura!"

Bella frowned and reached out, setting a blazing hand on her friend's shoulder. "They could have simply killed us. They didn't even leave the doorway. Besides, once the kings hear of what the Cullens have done, I doubt they will care about one lowly lion."

"Who do you wish to take with you, Isa?" Tia asked, stepping forward and setting a hand on her arm.

The lion took a deep breath and dropped her hand from Amun's shoulder. There was no way for the man to be more comfortable. Amun would never want her to go alone, he would want his mate close, but not leave his territory unprotected. He would definitely hate to send Benjamin alone. Bella sighed and looked at the coven leader. "It's your call. I know how protective you are of them. Who do you trust me to protect?"

Amun, for his part, froze. "I am also protective of you, Isabella." She scrunched her nose at his use of her full name, but smiled nonetheless. "If Benjamin is agreeable, I believe it would be best to take Tia and Kebi."

A shock ran through the entire coven, but Bella's face slowly broke into a smile, happy the man trusted her enough to protect his mate, especially. "I see no problem with this. Just… all of you, be safe." Bella nodded and the three women took off for the air strip, needing to push to make it on time. When they finally arrived, Jane smirked and closed her pocket watch, tucking it inside her dark cloak.

"Three minutes to spare. I started to believe you would make us hunt you down."

"Oh, my dear Jane, the hunter is rarely the hunted." Bella's mellow alto voice was calm, not at all worried like Jane was use to people being around her. The vampires that stood with the lion looked back and forth between them, worried this jab would cause the witch sister to lash out and use her power on the lion. They watched her brow furrow before a growl left her lips and she glared full on at Bella. The lion felt a twinge of pain, but shook it off quickly which frustrated Jane more. Felix stepped in before things could get messy.

"Why don't we all get into the plane and get this over with." His deep baritone cut through the tension and they all piled onto the airplane, Bella gazing in amazement at how things had changed in the time she had… well, avoided society. She took her seat at the back of the craft and sighed, trying to relax. Kebi of course sat beside her, pulling up the armrest and nuzzling into Bella's side to steal her unlimited amount of warmth while Tia, forgetting just where she was for a moment, flopped over both their laps. The lion chuckled and tucked her forearm under the vampire's head for support while the two guard members looked on in… confusion. Two mated vampires being so… carefree in their… cuddling? And the lion was completely okay with it, even forgoing her own discomfort for the sake of the vampire's?

Jane was stumped.

She was damn near pissed to admit that even she couldn't seem to hate the lion. She even found herself feeling calm, and safe.

It pissed her off.

How dare this… beast… this abomination cause her to be so fucking calm?!

The flight was a strange mixture of peaceful and tense. When they landed hours later, Bella hadn't slept a wink, instead being on guard, though her demeanor said otherwise. On the outside, the lion looked completely content in an aircraft full of older vampires, even though two of them believed they were far more powerful. They exited the craft together and the lion followed the Volturi into a car with dark tinted windows. The drive slowly built more tension and Bella's companions pressed into her more. When they arrived, Bella took a deep breath and exited the car, holding the door for Kebi and Tia before doing the same for a grumpy Jane, who was mildly shocked. Felix often did this for her, but out of fear. Bella only gave her a small smile and waved her arm in an "After you" motion.

XxXxX

"Masters," Jane bowed, Felix kneeling beside her. Bella and the girls stood behind them a few feet. Bella refused to bow, only because she saw no need, while Tia and Kebi bowed at the waist. Three men sat on a raised platform, all with milky red eyes and verging ranges of excitement or anger.

"Ah, Jane, dear! I see you've brought me someone?" The man in the middle stated. He had waist length black hair, papery skin, and an expression of a kid in a candy store.

"The newcomer to the Egyptian coven, Master Aro," Jane spoke softly, bowing deeply again before stepping away. Aro, the man in the middle it seemed, stepped forward and in a flash, almost too quick for Bella's eyes, he was before her. The beast within her bristled but she was mature enough to know to stay calm, despite the invasion of personal space.

"It would seem you are not a vampire, yet your calm demeanor also says you are no werewolf…" Bella crossed her arms and frowned at the thought.

"You're right, I am no mutt."

"Then what are you, child?" As he asked this, he held out his hand and a vague memory of Edward telling her of Aro's power came to mind. She took a deep breath and set her hand in his. The vampire's brow furrowed as the other kings watched on in a mixture of caution and anger from the blonde one. Finally, after several minutes, Aro dropped her hand after giving it a gently pat and opened darkened red eyes.

"I see." He turned to his brothers, his back to the lion, much to the surprise of everyone in the room, and spoke in a firm tone. "Ms. Swan poses no threat to us. She is powerful, do not doubt that. But we have more important matters at hand." Aro turned back to Bella and placed his hands behind his back. "It is strange, child. I have the power to see every memory, every thought someone has ever had, and yet… I can read you, but only flashes. Enough, however, to understand what you have been through." His piercing gaze fell on the two females behind Bella and he smiled reassuringly at their clear worry.

"Fear not, young ones," Kebi raised an eyebrow at the "Young ones" remark, but let it slide. "You are in no danger here. No one is to be held against their will." The blonde king opened his mouth, face twisted in anger, but Aro turned to cut him off. "Caius, this is no time to fight. They are not the ones we should be punishing." Everyone in the room stilled and Bella stood taller as red eyes landed on her from all angles. "Please, if you would, show my idiot brother what you are?"

Bella nodded and backed into the middle of the room, eyes flicking around before she began to change. Before everyone's eyes, her clothes seemed to melt into her skin, quickly replaced with dark fur before she exploded into her lion form. She shook out her fur slightly, her mane puffing up some before she stood tall, head held high as she gazed around at the vampires around her. Caius rubbed his chin, satisfied that she was not a child of the moon. A lack of windows would block out the moonlight, even if it wasn't mid-day. Now his mind was on the problem that was clearly on Aro's mind. The man looked… well, serious. Which meant he was angry, furious even. Aro was always smiling, even as he issued death penalties. So what could cause him such anger?

Bella let out a chuff and sat back on her haunches, lazily cleaning her paws of invisible dirt as the vampires around her began to discuss what to do.

"Brother," the last king spoke softly, standing slowly and watching the lion. Bella looked at him and relaxed her muscles, showing she would not attack. Though, truthfully, she didn't feel threatened by the man. Not because she didn't think he could hurt her, but because she felt as if he _wouldn't_.

"Marcus," Aro answered, his eyes darkening as the images he was subjected to played over in his head.

"What has been done?" Aro took a deep breath and turned to the room.

"Guard, you will leave. All but Alec, Jane, and our guests. Go. NOW!" The last word was boomed out with anger and finalty. The room was clear in less than ten seconds and Aro dropped into his seat. It was then, as Bella followed his movement with his eyes, that she spotted the three thrones that sat just behind the kings. The three women in them stood fluidly, moving forward into view. Two brunettes and a blonde, all of course beautiful beyond belief. The blonde came and sat on the arm of Caius' throne, draping an arm around his shoulders and laying her cheek on his head. The angry vampire visibly relaxed and turned his head into her shoulder. The taller brunette moved to Aro, sitting gracefully in his lap and yelping when he wrapped his arms around her, tugging her firmly against his chest. She giggled and nuzzled into his neck, knowing he needed the comfort right now. Whatever he had seen within the lions head had shaken him. The shorter of the three, maybe only 5'1, settled easily in Marcus' lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him before turning her eyes to the room and taking everyone in. Her eyes met the lion's and she froze, feeling the bond snap into place at the same time Bella felt it and Marcus saw it. A blue, pulsing bond that signaled a familial bond. He looked more closely at the bonds attached to the lion as he processed the development and saw three thick, green strings signaling strong coven bonds, though strained by distance, and once even seemed to be laced with a silvery blue, showing a hint of deep trust and attraction. The same bonds were connected to the two females present with the lion, the one to Kebi laced with the same silvery blue, and to the surprise of Marcus, her bonds that likely connected to Amun and Benjamin were just as strong. What truly, above all else, surprised him, were the bonds that were familial blue, and seemed to end no more than a few feet from her. They were frayed, chipped away, showing that the bonds were technically dead, and yet they held strong. He pondered what this meant as Aro finally sighed and frowned, looking at each person in the room.

"Bella, I must inform them of this issue…" His voice was gentle and she dipped her massive head, laying down and listening as he began to speak. "The Cullens have… much to answer to." He then launched into a shorter version of everything that happened, watching eyes slowly turn black as he revealed to them what had happened. Didyme was the most enraged at the end of it, her low rumbling growl filling the room as the story unfolded. Without thinking, she rushed forward, startling the lion who was back to sitting on her haunches. The vampire stopped and whispered an apology before motioning for Bella to get closer. Cautiously she did, feeling a strange trust for the vampire, and allowed the woman to run a cold hand through the fur of her head.

"They will never harm you again, not if I have a say about it. We will find them, and they will suffer for their crimes." Bella hesitated only a moment before she pressed her head into the woman's torso, accepting the comfort provided that felt so much like the motherly affection she had missed since losing her mom. Didyme's actions seemed to shock the entire room as she continued comforting the lion until she calmed, even pulling her lip back in a silent snarl when Kebi and Tia attempted to provide their own comfort. Finally, Bella pulled her head away, shifting back and once again standing before the room in her animal hide pants and chest wrap. She quietly thanked Didyme and turned to look at Aro, feeling the air displace at her sides as Tia and Kebi came to stand beside her.

"What do we do from here?" She spoke calmly, standing tall and crossing her arms. None of the vampires could deny she looked intimidating.

"I know Amun will be upset by this, but we need more information from you, if you're willing. It may be best if you stay with us for a time. We can gather what information we can from you, train you to reach your full potential, and offer you all a sense of protection you may not have had previously." Bella raised her eyebrow at that and Aro chuckled. "Okay, you probably have, but not at this scale." Bella laughed a little and nodded.

"I would like to be able to go home and speak to the rest of my coven about this. But rest assured, I would like your help. I know my training is not anywhere near at an end, and while my beast wishes to destroy the Cullens and Victoria without the help of anyone, I am… reasonable enough to know I will need the help."

Aro pondered this a moment before nodding, glancing at Didyme who was clearly struggling with letting her newfound bond-child go so far away. "Give us about 24 hours to arrange a jet for you to go home. Heidi will bring you a phone to contact us on when you're ready to return. I ask you try to be back within a week, though." The faintest whimper could be heard from Didyme and Aro felt for her. Though the bond of mother and child wasn't nearly as strong, her bond child had already been greatly hurt in her absence from her life, and was clearly still hurting. The bond was strained, and though Bella likely didn't notice, the vampire queen felt it at full force.

"Will do. Thank you," Bella smiled and bowed her head, her coven mates bowing as well before they were lead to a room to wait. Once the door closed behind them, Bella leaned back against it and sighed, her head thudding back against the wood as her companions sat heavily on the bed.

"Now what?" Kebi asked softly. Bella chuckled.

"Now we wait."

XxXxX

And there you have it! The next chapter! I hope you enjoyed, this was pretty fun to write and opened up a lot of possibities for the story. All mistakes are mine cuz no beta lol.


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